


The Sawyer Triplets

by thewishingdragon



Category: Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Multi, Tags will be added as they become relevant, Veronica and her brothers are half Cuban/half Italian in this, Veronica has siblings in this, idk why exactly it just popped into my head, okay so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-03 09:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13338102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewishingdragon/pseuds/thewishingdragon
Summary: Veronica smiled awkwardly. "These are my brothers.""Older brothers," Victor smirked."Only by nineteen minutes!"Vincent grinned. "I'm older than you by fifty-eight minutes.""Our little baby sister!" Victor laughed, pulling Veronica into a headlock."Vic! Let me go!"In which Veronica is the youngest of three.





	1. A Story that Nobody asked for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the author gives up on things like "being serious" and "sounding dignified" and just tosses in a snarky narrator ft. exposition.

It was Monday.

That in itself wasn’t exactly _bad_ , per se, until one remembers the- you know what? Fuck this. This is not a college essay, this is a story, and stories are supposed to be interesting.

 _I’m_ your narrator, and I’m gonna tell this story _my_ way.

So it’s the Monday after the Heathers gave Veronica a makeover and everyone’s looking at her like she just grew a second head. Betty and Martha are trying to be there for Veronica and Veronica’s just thinking a bunch of self-deprecating shit and worrying about Betty and Martha thinking that she's abandoning them. _  
_

Nothing of note happens at school that day, to be honest, so I’m gonna skip straight to when she gets home.

As soon as she walks through the door with Betty and Martha, someone jumps out at her and lifts her into the air. Now, since she has no fucking clue what’s going on, she does the logical thing and flips her shit, until she hears her mother shout "Victor! Put her down!"

And that, my friends, is where we begin this story. A story that nobody asked for.

* * *

 

"Vic!" Veronica shouted, twisting around to hug the boy.

"And Vincent!" Another voice chimed, "Don't leave me out!"

Veronica laughed, reaching towards the other boy to drag him into the hug as well. "It's been forever since I last saw you!"

"Aww," Victor laughed, "You hear that, Vin? She missed us!"

"Veronica," Betty shouted, "Who are these guys?"

The shorter boy (Victor) put Veronica down quickly and strutted over to where Betty and Martha were standing.

"Victor Sawyer, at your service," He said, bowing dramatically. "What's your name, _hermosa_?"

Betty smirked. "Betty Finn, and I have a girlfriend. Nice try though."

Victor immediately straightened up, running a hand through his hair and grinning. "She's a lucky lady."

Betty laughed. "She's way out of my league."

"That's the point, isn't it?" Victor joked.

Betty turned to Veronica. " _See,_ Veronica? _This guy_ gets it!" She turned back to Victor. "I've decided I like you, Victor."

"Please, call me Vic. All my best friends do"

Veronica watched, happy that they were getting along, before Martha joined the conversation.

"You still haven't told us who these boys are," Martha said.

Veronica smiled awkwardly. "These are my brothers."

" _Older_ brothers," Victor smirked.

"Only by nineteen minutes!"

Vincent grinned. "I'm older than you by fifty-eight minutes."

"Our little baby sister!" Victor laughed, pulling Veronica into a headlock.

" _Vic!_ Let me _go!_ "

"Little baby Bonnie Bear!" Victor teased, letting go and dodging just before she could smack his arm.

" _Bonnie Bear?_ " Betty snorted.

Veronica groaned as her brothers started telling Betty and Martha all kinds of embarrassing stories about what she was like when she was younger. You know, like siblings do.

This was gonna be a _long_ night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hermosa" is a Spanish term of endearment. It means "beautiful."  
> Let me know how you guys like the snarky narrator! I'm thinking of just having that be the voice of this story, since I plan to keep it light and fluffy and not make anyone suffer unnecessarily.


	2. Forget It (You're Good At That)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vincent and Victor meet the Heathers and reunite with Heather Chandler.  
> It's not a happy reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! If you like this story and want to help me write more like it, I now have a Patreon that you can donate to if you're able to!  
> https://www.patreon.com/shanes_scribbles

Alright y’all, so you remember how they were talking to Betty and Martha and telling embarrassing stories in the last chapter? Well forget that shit, because it’s the next day.

* * *

 

“Listen, when we get to school, you’re probably going to meet the Heathers,” Veronica explained, “And when you get to Heather Chandler, I want you to play nice, okay?”

“Why wouldn’t we be nice?” Victor asked, “You two are best friends.”

“We _were_ best friends.”

“Were?” Vincent frowned. “What’s that mean?”

“It means she doesn’t remember me,” Veronica snapped.

Victor’s eyes widened. “What do you mean she doesn’t remember? You two were inseparable!”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Yeah, inseparable until second grade when she apparently got amnesia and quit talking to me.”

Vincent scowled. “She did _what?”_

Veronica huffed. “Look, just be civil, alright? If she wants to forget, then I’m not gonna bring it up.”

Victor and Vincent shared a look, before nodding reluctantly.

“We trust your judgement,” Victor said.

Veronica smiled. “Thanks.”

* * *

 

Anyway, Veronica walks into school and the Heathers descend upon her in the hallway like a bunch of bitchy vultures. They wanna know why Veronica blew them off the day before and who she was with, and that’s where this chapter _really_ starts.

* * *

 

Veronica chuckled nervously. “Sorry. My mom wanted me back home right after school, so I got a ride home with Martha.”

Chandler scoffed, because of course she would. “What was so important that _Mother Dearest_ had to have you home so soon?”

“I dunno,” said a voice from behind the Heathers. “I’d say we’re pretty important. What do you think, Vic?”

“Oh yeah,” another voice said. “We’re definitely important enough that she’d have to go home right away.”

Now, y’all know who’s talking, but the Heathers don’t, so when they turn around, they’re surprised to see these two guys, who, by the way, aren’t super ripped, but are decently muscular, and definitely more toned than Kurt or Ram, standing over them and grinning like smug little shits.

“And who the fuck are you?” Chandler asked, or, more accurately, demanded, because let’s face it. She doesn’t ask for _shit._

Vincent smiled politely, because, unlike Victor, he’s a _proper gentleman,_ thank you very much. “My name’s Vincent. And _this,_ ” He gestured to Vic. “Is my younger brother Victor.”

“You’re only older by thirty-nine minutes, you jerk.” Despite his words, Victor had a smile on his face as he playfully punched the older boy on the arm.

“So you’re twins?” Mac asked. Yes, I’m calling her Mac, because calling her McNamara takes way too much time for the author to type and has four times the number of syllables. Don’t blame me, blame the writer for being a lazy fuck.

Victor grinned, throwing his arm over Vincent’s shoulders. “Triplets, actually.”

“So there’s three of you?” Chandler looked intrigued. “Where’s the other one?”

Vincent looked past Chandler to meet Veronica’s eyes, grinning. “Aw, Harmonica, you didn’t tell them about us? I’m hurt.”

Veronica groaned. “Can you not call me that? It was embarrassing when we were little, and it’s embarrassing now.”

Vic smirked, joining in. “But Monica, you know we’re just messing with you. You’re our baby sister, it’s our job”

Veronica rolled her eyes fondly, somehow completely missing the way the Heathers’ eyes lit up in interest.

“You never told us you had brothers,” Mac said.

Duke frowned. “You never told us you were a _triplet,_ either.”

Vincent grinned. “What a terrible oversight,” he said dramatically.

Veronica huffed out a laugh. “Okay, so those two jackasses are my older brothers. The one with the tie is Vincent. He’s the oldest. And the one with the absurdly tight shirt and the leather jacket is Victor. He thinks he’s the cool one.”

“Hey! I _am_ the cool one!” Victor pouted.

Veronica snickered. “Whatever. Anyway, these are the Heathers. Heather Duke is the brunette, Heather McNamara is the one in yellow, and the girl in red is Heather Chandler.”

At the mention of Heather Chandler, Vincent and Victor’s expressions hardened.

“Good to see you again,” Vincent said, although his expression said the opposite.

“Again?” Chandler frowned. “Have we met somewhere before?”

“You wouldn’t remember,” Victor said curtly, “It probably wasn’t super important.”

Veronica scowled. “Ti ho detto di giocare bene.”

“Sí, hermanita,” Victor muttered.

Vincent stared down at Chandler for a few moments, before turning to Duke and offering her a charming smile. “Forgive me for my rudeness,” he said, offering a hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Heather Duke.”

Victor extended a hand of his own to Mac with a smirk. “I’m _very_ pleased to meet you, Heather McNamara. Your name suits you.”

Mac giggled. “Does it?”

Victor nodded. “A beautiful name for an even more beautiful woman.”

Mac blushed. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

Victor grinned. “I respectfully disagree. In fact, I daresay it’s gotten me pretty far.”

Duke snorted, and Vincent rolled his eyes fondly.

“My brother is a bit of a flirt,” he said, “But he’s so charismatic that it usually ends up working for him.”

Duke scoffed. “It doesn’t work on me.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Veronica said, “It’d be kind of weird to see you dating my brother.”

She watched in amusement as Victor attempted to charm Mac, only to be surprised by Chandler tugging her away from the group by the arm and pulling her into the bathroom.

“What the hell is up with them?” Chandler snapped.

Veronica blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean!” Chandler hissed. “The second you introduce me they’re rude as hell but then they’re suddenly all buddy-buddy with Heather and Heather?! What the fuck?!”

Veronica frowned. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not important. Trust me, they’ll be civil from now on.”

Chandler scowled. “That’s not what I asked. I asked _why.”_

Veronica huffed. “Like I said, it’s not important, so just forget it.”

With that, she turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Chandler to ponder what had two of the three Sawyers looking at her like she was evil incarnate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ti ho detto di giocare bene." = "I told you to play nice."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that this is a modern AU.

“What’s up, heteros,” Victor said as he slid into the seat next to Veronica at the lunch table.

“What the fuck did you just call me?” Vincent demanded, huffing in mock indignation.

It had been over a week since Veronica’s brothers had started school at Westerburg. The rest of the student population had quickly warmed up to them, and they’d soon found themselves eating lunch with Veronica and the Heathers on a regular basis.

“Heard there’s going to be a party tomorrow night,” Victor said, reaching over to Veronica’s tray and stealing a handful of fries.

“Get your own, you asshole,” Veronica swatted his hand away, “What party are you talking about?”

“Kurt and Ram’s dads are going out of town for the weekend, so they’re throwing one of their usual ragers,” Chandler sighed, looking anything but interested.

Veronica frowned at that. “Your birthday’s this weekend, though.”

Chandler eyed Veronica suspiciously. “How do you know that?”

Veronica blinked. “Isn’t it common knowledge?”

The air was tense for a few seconds, until Chandler shrugged. “Probably. I don’t pay attention to what anyone talks about around here.”

Duke and Mac shared a look, but were otherwise silent.

“Well,” Victor said, “Whatever we end up doing this weekend, I want to find a date.”

Chandler examined her nail polish, looking totally uninterested in the conversation. “Easy. you two take Heather and Heather, and Veronica and I will find our own dates.”

“Actually,” Victor said, “I was thinking about asking that Dennis guy out. He’s kind of cute.”

“Good luck with that,” Veronica said, “He’s seeing someone.”

Victor frowned. “Are they-”

“Monogamous? Yes.”

Victor huffed. “Peter, then.”

“He’s taken, too.”

Victor groaned. “Why do all the cute guys have to be taken?”

Duke cleared her throat. “Wait, Veronica, is your brother…”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “He’s right there. Whatever you want to ask him, you can do it yourself.”

“And if the question is ‘am I gay,’ then the answer is yes. Very.” Victor grinned.

“I’m bi,” Vincent said.

“Pan,” Veronica chimed.

Suddenly, Victor patted Veronica on the shoulder roughly, causing her to choke on her fries. “Hey, Harmonica, you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Veronica glared up at him as she coughed. “What the fuck was so important that you had to nearly kill me?”

“See mister tall, broody, and handsome over there?”

Veronica followed his gaze. “The guy in the trench coat?”

“Yeah, him,” Victor smiled dreamily, “Isn’t he cute?”

Veronica snorted, “He’s not bad. You think he’d give you his number?”

Victor bit his lip, brow furrowing as he mulled it over. “It’s a possibility. Wanna be my wingwoman?”

Veronica grimaced. “Why me? We have an older brother right there!” She gestured to where Vincent was sitting.

“Nah,” Vincent muttered, “If I go over there I’m just gonna end up asking him out myself.”

Veronica let out a long-suffering sigh. “You two are hopeless.”

Vic turned to her then, pouting at her in his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “ _Please,_ Bonnie Bear? I’ll do your chores for a week.”

Veronica crossed her arms. “Not happening.”

“I’ll let you borrow my car whenever you want for the next month.”

Veronica smirked. “Now we’re talking. Sit tight, Vicky, I’ll go talk to him.”

With that, Veronica rose from her seat and wandered over to the table where the boy Victor had been watching was sitting, alone.

“Hi,” Veronica said, coming to a stop in front of him.

At the sound of her voice, he looked up from his book. “Greetings and salutations.”

Veronica almost smiled. “Yeah, you’ll do.”

“I’ll do for what?” the boy asked.

“My brother thinks you’re cute,” Veronica explained, “I told him I’d come over here and try to get your number for him.”

The boy’s smile fell slightly. “Your brother? Which one is he?”

“You see those boys sitting at the table with the girls who look like they’re doing a group Halloween costume as a traffic light?”

“Yeah.”

“Those are my brothers. The wannabe punk is the one who asked me to get your number.”

The boy nodded. “What about your preppy brother?”

“He thinks you’re cute, too. That’s why he didn’t come over here. He knew if he tried asking you out on our brother’s behalf, he’d end up making a pass at you himself.”

The boy grinned wryly up at her. “And you won’t?”

Veronica hummed noncommittally. “Things would get pretty weird if all three of us were trying to score a date with you. I generally consider my brothers’ crushes off-limits.”

“That’s a shame,” he said, “I was going to ask for your number when you came over here.”

“You can have it if you still want it, but don’t expect anything to come of it,” Veronica said, pulling her diary out of her pocket and writing her phone number down on one of the blank pages. Once she finished, she tore the page out and held it out to him.

His fingers closed around a corner of the page. “Can I see your pen for a moment?”

Veronica nodded and handed it over, watching as he wrote down the same phone number three different times.

He tore the part of the page with Veronica’s number away from the others and put it in his pocket, before tearing the rest into three strips and handing them to her. “Here’s mine, along with copies for your brothers. If any of you want to go out sometime, let me know.”

“Sure thing.” She stuck one of the strips of paper in between the pages of her diary. “By the way, I didn’t get your name.”

“I didn’t give it to you,” he said.

Veronica chuckled. “Well, until I know your name, I’m not giving you mine, either.”

“Fair enough,” he grinned, “I guess we’ll have to drag out the suspense a bit longer, then, won’t we?”

“I suppose so.”

When she got back to the table, she handed Victor and Vincent the other two slips. “He gave each of us his number and said to let him know if any of us wants to go out sometime.”

Victor immediately swept her up in a bear hug. “Aw, Bonnie Bear! I _knew_ we could count on you!”

Veronica laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m the greatest. Now let me eat my lunch in peace.”

The Heathers gave them an odd look, but didn’t say anything else as they watched Veronica and her brothers antagonize each other for the rest of the lunch period.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica gets Heather's birthday present, Mac and Vic talk about mental health, and Vincent tells Duke some bittersweet stories.

Veronica sauntered into the bathroom where the Heathers were fixing their makeup, a satisfied grin on her face despite the cold glare she got from Chandler.

“How nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Chandler sneered, “You should have told me you weren’t going to be home when I went to pick you up. You owe me for the gas I wasted.”

“Sorry,” Veronica said, still grinning widely, “I was picking up your birthday present.”

Chandler scoffed. “It had better be good.”

Veronica hummed, pulling a small stack of envelopes out of her backpack and handing one to each of the Heathers. “Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

“A card? Really? You can do better than that, can't you?” Chandler’s tone was mocking as she carefully tore open the envelope. “And why did we all get one?”

Veronica’s smile stayed securely on her face. “It would be a shame if your best friends weren’t at the party with you, wouldn’t it?”

Chandler frowned. “Ram’s party? We aren’t going.”

“Good, because I’m not talking about that one.”

Chandler opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a pair of surprised gasps from Mac and Duke.

“How did you manage to get these?!” Duke demanded, eyes wide, staring up at Veronica in something that looked like awe.

“Pulled a few strings, called in a favor or two, nothing big.” Veronica shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, feigning disinterest by pretending to examine her nails.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Chandler ripped the envelope open carelessly, pulling out its contents to find out what had Duke and Mac so excited. A moment later, she turned to peer up at Veronica, shocked by what she saw.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get an invitation to a Remington party?!” she hissed, “We’ve never managed to get ahold of these before!”

Veronica smirked. “I’m going to take that to mean you like your present. It’s Saturday, so it can double as your birthday party.”

Chandler’s eyes narrowed. “And what are we expected to do in return?”

“Nothing?” Veronica wasn’t sure what Chandler meant. “I got them for you as a gift. You don’t owe me anything.”

Chandler grit her teeth. “I _mean,_ what do we owe the person that _gave_ you the invites?”

Veronica’s eyes lit up in realization. “Oh, that. Each one cost me a kiss.”

“Just a kiss?” Chandler didn’t seem convinced.

“Well, I offered, and they accepted, but I didn’t exactly owe anyone anything for those.”

Chandler’s brow furrowed in confusion. “You mean someone just gave you these without expecting something in return?”

“Well, I did say I called in a favor, which implies that the person who gave them to me felt like _they_ owed _me_ something. I don’t exactly think anyone owes me anything, but they said they wanted to repay me for something I did for them a while back.”

Chandler examined the invitation, the signature was unreadable, but her full name was clearly printed on the invitation. “Who’d you get this from, anyway?”

“The quarterback. We’re friends. Sometimes a little bit more than friends.” Veronica hardly seemed to care that she’d managed to get them invitations to an unreasonably exclusive party.

“And you’re good enough friends to be invited to Remington parties?” Mac asked.

Veronica nodded. “Actually, Betty, Martha, and I have been getting invited to Remington parties for a few years now.”

Mac gasped in astonishment. “How?!”

“I told you, I’m friends with the quarterback. Plus, Betty’s dating a member of Remington’s popular clique.”

The Heathers gawked up at her in wonder.

Veronica bit back the laugh that threatened to escape and straightened up. “Anyway, happy birthday, Heather. I really do hope you like your gift.”

Chandler pretended to consider it, before nodding. “This is worth it.”

“I’m glad it meets your ridiculously high standards,” Veronica said, giving Chandler a teasing grin.

Chandler rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I’ve never been to one of these parties before.”

Veronica waved her off. “It’s nothing. We can go to the next one too, if you have fun on Saturday.”

Chandler fought the smile that threatened to spread across her face, turning away so nobody would see. “Alright, I’ll pick you up at eight then.”

“Nope. I’m going with my brothers and my plus one,” Veronica said, “We’ll meet you there, though.”

Chandler huffed. “Fine.”

“The party starts at seven, so we’ll get there a half hour after it starts. That way we won’t be the only ones there.” Veronica turned and walked towards the door, pausing in the doorway. “And all three of you had better be on your best behavior! If you aren’t, then that makes me look bad, and I don’t want to lose my invite.”

With that, she left, and as soon as the door shut, Mac gave a squeal of excitement.

“We’re going to a Remington party!” she cheered.

Duke rolled her eyes, her lips turning up slightly at the ends despite her attempts to hide it. “I didn’t know Veronica had those kinds of connections.”

Chandler hummed thoughtfully. “Neither did I. It seems like there’s a lot we don’t know about her.”

Mac made a noise of agreement. “Yeah. First she doesn’t tell us she has siblings…”

“And then she just tells us she’s pan like it’s common knowledge,” Duke added.

“Don’t forget about her brothers’ weird attitudes towards me when I met them,” Chandler said.

“Yeah, about that,” Mac muttered, “Didn’t they say you’d met them before?”

“Yeah,” Duke said, “They said you probably wouldn’t remember them.”

Mac nodded. “I wonder what that was all about.”

Chandler thought for a moment. “We should probably spend some time learning about Veronica. We’ve got no idea what kinds of things we could find out.”

* * *

 

“Hey, did Veronica give you your invites?” Victor asked as he sat next to Mac on the bleachers.

“Yup” Mac replied, “I’m really excited! Remington parties are super hard to get into!”

Victor chuckled. “Yeah, she told us. Does that mean none of you have been to one before?”

“Yeah. We’ve never had the best relationship with the students there.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” he asked.

Mac felt her face warm in embarrassment, and she looked away. “I kind of got into a fight with their head cheerleader once.”

Victor’s eyes widened. “Why?”

Mac wrung her hands nervously. “We lost to them at regionals one year, and she said some things that made me mad, and…”

Victor nodded sympathetically, patting her gently on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I get it. Someone says something, and when you hear it, you don’t think about it. All you know is that you’re angry and the person that made you mad looks awfully punchable.”

Mac peered up at him curiously. “Did something like that happen to you?”

Victor chuckled nervously. “I wasn’t very good at keeping my impulses under control when I was younger,” he admitted, “It kind of comes with the diagnosis, though.”

“What diagnosis?”

“I have ADHD,” he said, “It’s not super intense, but I am on meds to help with the symptoms. Mindfulness helps too, but sometimes I still have trouble understanding social cues or keeping myself from making impulsive decisions.”

“Does Vincent have it?”

Victor shook his head. “He’s got mild OCD, though. It’s not too bad, but sometimes I have to stop him from washing his hands until they bleed, or talk him through stuff when his intrusive thoughts make him start spiraling. We’ve been working on telling Veronica about our stuff so she can help out when we need her to. We help her with her stuff, too.”

“What kind of stuff?”

Victor scratched absently at the back of his neck. “I mean, we’re still figuring out how to act around each other after being away for so long, but from what I can tell, she’s got ADHD too, and her anxiety is… not _worse,_ but apparently she was doing better up until about a week before we got back.”

Mac wanted to ask a lot of things, but she decided to settle on the more pressing question. “She has anxiety?”

Victor laughed. “Yeah, you wouldn’t know it from looking at her, would you? She used to be really skittish. Nonna used to call her _Topolina,_ or Little Mouse, because she was so small and nervous. She didn’t talk much when we were little. Hardly ever said more than two words to anyone except me, Vince, and… her friend.” His expression hardened at that, before he sighed. “We learned sign language to help her out. All of us. Mom and Dad took us to classes and all five of us would learn new signs to help our little sister so she wouldn’t have to push herself if talking was too hard.”

“That was really nice of them,” Mac said.

Victor nodded. “Her friend used to go to lessons with us, once they got close. They were practically inseparable. Back then, Veronica talked to her more than she talked to us. It was nice to see her with someone that made her so happy.”

“What happened?”

Victor scowled. “It’s Veronica’s business. I’d love to fight her on my sister’s behalf, but Veronica still cares about her, so I’ve got to play nice.”

Mac didn’t ask him any further questions. Instead, she laughed with him when one of the boys got a basketball thrown at his head.

* * *

 

“So, why didn’t we know you existed until you started school here?”

Vincent groaned softly as he sat down on the floor next to Duke. “We’ve been living in Italy with our Nonna for the past… eleven years? We left when we were in first grade. Nonna wanted us to go to school separate from Veronica. She said it would help her stop depending on us for everything. I think it helped. She’s a lot more confident, and she talks more.” Vincent stared at the palm of the hand that had touched the floor when he was sitting and wiped it on his pants. “She wasn’t like that before.”

Duke opened up her English notebook and pretended to study her notes. “What was she like?”

Vincent smiled wistfully, his own notebook open and unmarked in his lap. “She was so shy. She used to try and hide behind Mom’s leg during family events when she was little, and if you tried to talk to her she’d hide her face. Dad’s family used to call her _Conejita_.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It’s Spanish. It means Little Rabbit. It’s fitting, I think. She was so small when we were little. Mom thinks it’s because she wasn’t as big as me or Vic before we were born.” He laughed quietly to himself, rubbing his thumb across his knuckles absently.

Duke debated asking him what was really on her mind, but decided to ask anyway. “What’s up with you and Heather? You and your brother seem really…”

“Hostile?”

“Not quite the word I would have used, but yeah.”

Vincent frowned, scanning the rows of books in front of them. “Do you remember her hanging around anyone when we were in kindergarten?”

Duke’s brow furrowed as she tried to think. “I mean, there was that weird mute girl. They used to sit alone together and Heather would just talk.”

Vincent nodded. “That was Veronica.”

Duke blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”

Vincent shook his head. “I remember they used to be together all the time. Heather was Veronica’s whole _world._ She was one of the only people Veronica actually spoke to when we were little.”

“If she was so important to Veronica, then why are the two of you so mad at her now?” Duke asked.

Vincent’s expression hardened. “Because she forgot. Apparently, at some point around second grade, Heather just… I dunno, decided she didn’t care anymore? Problem is, Veronica still cares. A lot. And it hurts her to be around Heather. She doesn’t say it, but I know it hurts.”

Duke hummed thoughtfully. “Why haven’t you said anything about it?”

“Veronica wants us to be civil. I’d rather yell at Heather for abandoning my little sister, but if she doesn’t know, then Veronica doesn’t want to tell her.”

“Why not?”

Vincent sighed. “She says it’s better off forgotten.”

Duke didn’t know what to say to that, so she changed the subject.

“How about something less sad? Tell me some of Veronica’s embarrassing nicknames.”

Vincent snorted. “Oh god. Vic and I have a list.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “It’s alphabetized.”

* * *

 

“Hey.”

Veronica glanced up from the desk curiously. “What’s up?”

“Tell me about yourself,” Chandler said.

Veronica met her gaze, confused by the request. “Heather, is this really the best time for that?”

“C’mon, I’m curious.”

“We’re in class,” Veronica whispered.

“So?”

Veronica resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “ _So,_ we should be taking _notes,_ not playing Twenty Questions.”

Chandler huffed. “But I’m bored!”

“I swear, if I miss anything important, I’m blaming you,” Veronica muttered, “Besides, you already know a ton of stuff about me.”

“I do?”

Veronica nodded. “But if you don’t remember, then I’m fine with letting it be forgotten.”

It was a lie, of course, but Chandler had no way of knowing that.


	5. Chapter 5

“Did you know that the odds of getting struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 3,000?” Veronica asked, fiddling with something in her hands as she sat on the floor.

Chandler glanced over at her from where she was perched on the edge of Veronica’s bed. “How is that relevant to this situation?”

“It’s not,” Veronica shrugged, “But it’s too quiet in here and I’m bored.”

Mac smiled sympathetically and patted Veronica’s shoulder.

“I think you might have missed some zeroes there,” Duke said, “One in three thousand is way too likely.”

“Google it,” Veronica suggested.

Duke sat down next to Chandler, pulled out her phone, and typed her password. “Fine, but I hope you’re ready to be-”

Veronica grinned. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Duke nodded, looking bewildered by this new information. “How is it that high?!”

Veronica shrugged again. “I dunno, but it’s pretty wild. And if you think that’s weird, wait until I tell you about figs.”

“What about figs?” Chandler asked, intrigued.

“They have wasps in them,” Veronica said matter-of-factly, still fidgeting with the object in her hands, “Female fig wasps burrow into figs to lay their eggs, and pollinate the flower on the inside of the fig, and then they die, their eggs hatch, and once the larva reach maturity, they leave the fig, mate, and the cycle starts all over again. Fig wasps can only lay their eggs in male figs, though, but the fig wasps can’t tell the difference, so sometimes they’ll burrow into a female fig and find that they can’t lay their eggs in it and they’ll die of starvation inside the fig.”

She looked up at Chandler and Duke, only to find them sitting stock still with matching expressions of horror. Next to her, Veronica could see Mac looking slightly queasy.

“I’m never eating a fig again,” Duke murmured.

Veronica snorted. “I mean, it’s not like you’re actually eating wasp parts. The figs secrete an enzyme that breaks down the wasp’s body and turns it into protein. The fig basically digests the wasp so you don’t have to.”

“That’s… not much better,” Mac said.

Veronica hummed thoughtfully. “Guess not. It’s pretty interesting though.”

“Why do you even know about fig wasps?” Chandler asked.

“Vic got really into studying insects when I was younger. I know all kinds of weird facts about them thanks to him.” Veronica leaned closer, eyes wide and full of excitement. “For instance, did you know bees have hair on their eyes called setae that help them navigate?”

“Whoa,” Mac whispered, “That’s so cool!”

Veronica grinned. “I know, right? Vince never liked hearing him talk about bugs when we were little, so he didn’t really get to tell anyone about them much while they were away.”

“It’s probably because of his OCD,” Mac reasoned.

Veronica regarded Mac curiously. “How do you know about that?”

“Victor told me,” Mac admitted, suddenly growing self-conscious, “Was I not supposed to say anything about it?”

Veronica seemed to consider it for a moment. “I mean, I guess if he told you about it, he trusts you, but maybe ask first next time?”

Mac nodded. “Alright.”

Veronica smiled. “In any case, you’re probably right. He’s always been anxious about contamination, so he never really liked looking at bugs. I was usually the one who helped him find them. Vince mostly liked stuff that didn’t involve getting dirty.”

“Like what?” Mac asked.

“Music, space, movies, pretty much anything he could observe without having to worry about germs and parasites and stuff.” Veronica smiled wistfully. “We used to play piano together, and he and Vic liked watching musicals with me.”

“That’s sweet,” Mac said.

Veronica nodded. “Nonna got the boys a telescope a few years back so they could look at the stars together. Vic’s always loved learning about the planets. There’s apparently one where it rains diamonds!”

Mac gasped and leaned closer. “That’s so cool!”

“Are you a space fan, too?” Duke asked.

“Not really,” Veronica shrugged, “But when you and your brother both get really excited about certain subjects, you kind of pick things up through their excited ramblings. I can tell you loads of stuff about bugs, space, and cinematography just based on the things Vic has talked to me about since he and Vince came home, and he can probably tell you tons of neat things about music, linguistics, and ADHD because of me.”

“Doesn’t he know a lot about ADHD already, though?” Mac asked.

“Well, yeah, but I liked studying it, and there’s a lot of interesting stuff beyond the inattentiveness and hyperactivity. Actually, did you know that kids with ADHD are more likely to experience peer rejection because of their poor impulse control and emotional dysregulation?”

Duke seemed intrigued now. “Really?”

Veronica nodded, eyes focused on her hands as she kept playing with the object she was holding. “And now that I know about that, it doesn’t really surprise me that I only had one friend until second grade. I mean, if someone even hinted that they were bored or tired of dealing with me, I’d get so upset I’d start to cry, and I didn’t really talk much for a long time, so I guess other kids didn’t want to hang around someone they couldn’t communicate with.”

“Oh! Vic told me you know sign language,” Mac said, “Do you think you could teach me? Just… in case you don’t feel like talking sometimes?”

Veronica nodded. “Sure! I still sign with my parents a lot, and my brothers kept learning when they went to live with Nonna, so they still know a lot. We can all help you learn, if you want.”

“That sounds great.”

“I want to know, too,” Duke said, “It seems like it would be pretty useful.”

“Alright. Do you… wanna start now?”

Mac and Duke nodded.

“Okay, so, yes is a pretty simple sign. You just make a fist like this,” she said, making the appropriate shape with her hand and nodding when Duke and Mac mimicked her, “And then you kind of make a forward and back motion, so it’s like you’re nodding with your hand.”

Mac and Duke practiced the sign a few times until they were confident in their ability to use it.

“Okay, good. Now, the sign for no looks a little different. To sign the letter N, you make a fist and put your thumb under your pointer and middle fingers like this.” She quickly demonstrated the sign. “And for no, you use those three fingers. Anyway, you start with your middle finger, pointer finger, and thumb extended away from each other, and then you bring them together quickly, and that’s how you say no.”

She had to correct Mac and Duke a little on that one, but after a few tries, she nodded.

“Alright, so if you’re asking yes or no questions, you know what the answers are gonna look like if I don’t feel like talking, so that’ll make communicating with me easier sometimes. Just remember to try not to bounce your hand when you sign, because that’s the sign language equivalent of shouting, and keep in mind that one handed signs are usually done with your right hand.”

“I have a question,” Mac said, “What’s your favorite sign?”

Veronica blushed a little bit. “It’s kind of silly, but you basically combine the letters I,” she made a fist and extended her pinky, “L,” she extended her pointer finger and thumb, “and Y,” her pinky and thumb.

Mac nodded. “And what’s that one mean?”

Chandler knew the answer before Veronica even started talking.

“It means ‘I love you,’” Veronica said, smiling bashfully, “I used to sign it to my friend all the time.”

Duke frowned. “What, uh… what happened that made you two stop talking to each other?”

Veronica shrugged. “I dunno. I wish she would have told me what I did wrong, though. I could have fixed it, whatever it was.”

Duke hummed thoughtfully. “What do you think happened?”

Veronica laughed bitterly. “I said earlier that kids with ADHD are more likely to be rejected by their peers. Maybe I was just too much trouble, and she just got tired of dealing with me.”

Mac frowned and slung an arm over Veronica’s shoulders in an awkward, yet comforting half hug.

Chandler couldn’t figure out why seeing them so close upset her, but a far-off part of her insisted that  _ she _ should be the one comforting Veronica.

**Author's Note:**

> Nobody asked for this story, but if you want, you can send me an ask on tumblr at shanes-scribbles.tumblr.com! It can be a prompt, a question about your favorite story, or pretty much anything else! I love hearing from everyone!


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